Liquid Detergent Composition with Nonionic Surfactant Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid detergents with high surfactant concentrations face issues of thickening, gelation, and stability problems, particularly at low temperatures, and fail to provide effective detergency and softening effects on fiber products.
Innovation Solution
A liquid detergent composition comprising a nonionic surfactant produced by adding ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to a hydrocarbon compound, combined with anionic and cationic surfactants, and a water-miscible organic solvent, which maintains solubility and stability at low temperatures while enhancing detergency and softening effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the surfactant concentration is increased to reduce environmental load and transportation cost, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the viscosity increases causing thickening and gelation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a specific nonionic surfactant (ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block adduct) as an intermediary substance that mediates between the anionic and cationic surfactants. This nonionic surfactant prevents the direct interaction that would otherwise cause gelation, allowing high concentrations of cleaning surfactants to be maintained without viscosity instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the surfactant system by selecting specific ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block adducts with controlled molecular weights and compositions. This parameter change allows the system to maintain low viscosity even at high total surfactant concentrations (40% or more), resolving the contradiction between concentration and stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a large amount of solvent is added to decrease viscosity, then the流动性 is improved, but the flash point risk increases and cleaning effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the viscosity-control function from the solvent component and assigns it to the nonionic surfactant component. By taking out the need for large amounts of solvent, the formulation achieves low viscosity through the specific nonionic surfactant selection, thereby eliminating the associated flash point risks while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If cationic surfactant is added to provide softening effects, then the fabric softening is improved, but the solubility and stability deteriorate when combined with anionic surfactant
Solution Approach 1:
The nonionic surfactant serves as a mediator between the anionic and cationic surfactants, preventing direct interaction that would cause precipitation or instability. This intermediary allows the cationic surfactant to provide fabric softening effects while the nonionic surfactant maintains system solubility and stability throughout storage and use.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves good detergency, stability, and softening effects on fiber products, preventing gelation and maintaining solubility in cold water, thereby improving washing performance and storage stability.
Implementation Method 1
a nonionic surfactant which prevents formation of liquid crystal and/or crystal
Implementation Method 2
produced by adding p1 mol of ethylene oxide to a compound represented by R—OH (wherein, R represents hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms), then adding q1 mol of alkylene oxide having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, and then adding p2 mol of ethylene oxide
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a liquid detergent composition containing the following components (a) to (c), wherein the total content of components (a) to (c), (a)+(b)+(c), is 40 to 90% by mass; a mass ratio of components (a) to (b), (a)/(b), is 25/75 to 90/10; and a mass ratio [(a)+(b)]/(c), is 95/5 to 70/30:component (a): 15 to 75% by mass of a nonionic surfactant produced by adding p1 mol of ethylene oxide to a compound represented by R—OH (wherein, R represents a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms), then adding q1 mol of an alkylene oxide having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, and then adding p2 mol of ethylene oxide, wherein p1 is the number of 3 to 30, q1 is the number of 1 to 5, and p1+p2 is 14 to 50,component (b): anionic surfactant,component (c): cationic surfactant,component (d): 5 to 40% by mass of water-miscible organic solvent.